Blogging Basics
September 7, 2009 
5 Comments
If you’ve used the Internet recently, there is a good chance that you’ve seen the word blog appear in at least one of your Internet searches. TV stations have them. News reporters are creating them. ESPN’s website features sports blogs. And to top that off, the game show Jeopardy even has a category on blogs. So, what are the basics of blogging?
A blog, short for web log, is an online journal. It is a location on the Internet where a person can share information about any topic. This information can be thoughts or opinions on a given topic, a list of website links and commentary, or anything the author might want to share with the world. There are millions of active blogs on the Internet and these blogs combined make up the blogosphere.
Blogs are sometimes compared to message boards or personal websites, but they are actually very different. Three basic characteristics of blogs are:
- Single page entries – A blog is usually a single page of entries. Each entry may contain comments from the author, links to other websites, pictures, and audio or video clips. The author of the blog may archive, or save, previous entries, but the most relevant information will appear on the main page. The most recent entries appear at the top of page, while older entries are located on the lower part of the page.
- One author – A blog is written by one person. This person is known as the blogger. Other people may often write comments to the blogger’s post, but the primary content of the blog is written by one person. Many companies are creating blogs, too. This allows the company to interact with customers in a much more informal environment.
- Public – A blog is usually public and is on the Internet for anyone to see. If you do create a blog you should remember that anyone can read it, which means that you should be careful of the personal information you share.
By now you may be wondering, “What is the point of a blog?” To some bloggers, their blog is a chance for them to express their views on a wide range of issues, while other bloggers choose to focus on a particular topic. If I am interested in jewelry making, fishing, or technology, I might create a blog dedicated completely to one of these topics. The possibilities are endless.
Now that you understand what a blog is, you might want to know how to create your own. The good news is that you do not have to be a computer programmer to learn how these programs work! There are many web-based programs that make creating and managing a personal blog very easy. Many of these programs will allow you to create a basic blog for free. Three very easy-to-use blog creation programs are:
If you’ve ever scribbled a web address down on a scrap piece of paper for a friend, had pictures or videos to share with others, or wanted to express your views or experience on a topic, then you may find the idea of creating your own blog interesting. It is an easy way to share information with friends, family, and coworkers – not to mention the rest of the world. If creating your own blog doesn’t interest you, blogs can still be a great source of information. Take a little time out of your day and review a few of the blogs on the web to see what the hype is all about.
Enjoy the wonderful world of blogging. See you in the blogosphere!
What type of program are you using on this blog to run the “Click a tag to see more!” feature? I like that feature on this blog.
We are using the WordPress plugin “WP-Cumulus”. You can learn more about it at: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wp-cumulus/
Thanks Matt, the information was very helpful. I have not started a personal blog yet but that feature definitely is encouragement for me to do so.
Great information for people that are new to blogging. I would love to learn more about the most successful plugins on wordpress as well as techniques to drive traffic to a blog.
Thanks, Jessica
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